


Arkham is Bullshit

by hollyharley



Category: Batwoman (TV 2019)
Genre: Arkham Asylum, Arkham Asylum Staff are Bad Doctors, Gen, Gotham City is Terrible, Trauma, trigger/content warning in notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26298835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyharley/pseuds/hollyharley
Summary: Yes, yes, I know. I’m Crazy Alice. Don’t listen to her; she killed a bunch of people, and her followers dress up like bunnies. She’s schizophrenic or something. She wears peoples' skin. She’s criminally insane. Poor Commander Kane. Beth died after all.Alice rambles about how Arkham Asylum is unethical, and how Gotham is bullshit.basically POV of a Gotham villain to express how arkham asylum and the gotham justice system is full of shit.
Relationships: gotham city & bullshit
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Arkham is Bullshit

**Author's Note:**

> cw: references to past child abuse, torture in hospitals, unethical hospital practices, ableism, cursing

Don’t let them fool you.

Yes, yes, I know. I’m Crazy Alice. Don’t listen to her; she killed a bunch of people, and her followers dress up like bunnies. She’s schizophrenic or something. She wears peoples' skin. She’s criminally insane. Poor Commander Kane. Beth died after all.

For one, read a book for once in your life, will you? I don’t have hallucinations. I''m not delusional (I know I'm not in a children's book). _"Who am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!"_ It’d be a wonder to know what is going on in this pretty little head of mine, but of course, I haven't had the chance to find out. You think they have therapists in here? Ha! The only psychologist I ever talked to was the one I kidnapped.

He was helpful. I feel kind of sorry for killing him.

Anyways, back to my point. Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. (What a mouth full.) It's where they send all the wack jobs.

First, Batman saves the day. Gets the guy, and if he's a billionaire, he's off to Blackgate. But if he's wearing a weird costume, he gets sent here. I'm not saying a weird costume doesn't equal crazy. There's some _crazy_ people in here. Rich idiot thinks Bruce Wayne was his best friend. Girl who thinks she's a reincarnation of Judith. Murderer who uses the persona of a children's book character to cope (with being kidnapped, threatened, seeing her mom's peeled-off face, and child abuse. Hint- that's me.)

My point is: _"We're all mad here."_ And the only reason we aren't put in the prison is because the "doctors" need to get off by giving us "therapy." What is this, 1869? Elecro-shock? Straps? My poor little Mouse... he was stuck in this retched place for a long time, and even after he got out, he couldn't forget. Ever little noise would frighten the sweet thing, and I would have to comfort him when he woke up screaming almost every night. So don't tell me people are sent to Arkham to keep Gotham safe. Safe from what? There is plenty of evil on the outside. They just haven't been caught yet. 

What Arkham is, really, is a place to poison the broken. We are sent here, tortured, and then looked down upon when we dare to escape. The people of Gotham see the us as heinous, when in actuality, it is them who are heinous. They turn their heads in disgust. When they hear our screams, they ignore them. "Therapy" is torture. Literally. Torture. I promise you, this asylum is _not_ ethical under APA guidlines. Oh, speaking of ethics.

_“No, no!” said the Queen. “Sentence first—verdict afterwards.”_

I had no trial. I was locked in here by beautiful Batwoman, and that was that. Why do the vigilantes of Gotham have the power of judge, jury, and executioner? How come the woman who put me here- the so called "heroes" who put so many here- are praised and idolized? You don't see Batman exposing the injustice of Arkham, or Supergirl saving our sick souls from the hands of true evil. _“It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.”_ There's a word for this asylum, this city, this country and it's "heroes." Bullshit. B u l l s h i t.

I'm Crazy Alice, after all. No one will listen to me. I'm giving this speech to the wall of my cell. And perhaps HaShem, if I believed He was listening.

I know what this place is really all about. Dear old Arkham is a prison after all. Most importantly, it's for-profit.

_"Curiouser and curiouser!"_

Since I'm giving this grand speech to a wall, I guess I might as well be honest about everything. There's a reason I'm speaking to you at this ungodly hour.

It is not only my dear Mouse who wakes up in terror now. 

It didn't start as a nightmare, which makes it even worse. It started with my sister. I was never kidnapped. My mother was never killed. We sat together at our dinner table, eating Chinese takeout. My hair was longer, my mind saner. My sister smiled and said: _"Beth, I love you."_ It was euphoric. Wonderful. I was Beth, and I never saw my dead mother's head in a river. I was never burned. Never threatened. I had a kitten, and no one killed him.

Then someone knocked on the door. Sweet Kate- a version who loved me- opened the door.

And he was there. Caterpillar. He grabbed me, and I had to pretend I was okay with it because if I didn't he would kill Kate, kill Kate, kill Kate. I went with him, and he took me back to that horrible house and I didn't cry because Kate, Kate, Kate, my dear precious Kate needed to be safe. He locked me in my basement, and he smiled and said: _"Alice, I need your little nimble fingers!"_

He left me, and I cried so hard I woke up in this cell. It is only on nights like these that I am happy I am in this prison. It's still better than where I used to be. 

_"Little Alice fell_

_D_

_O_

_W_

_N_

_the hole, bumped her head, and bruised her soul."_

But no one helped her back up. 

Are you surprised I turned out this way?

**Author's Note:**

> Beth deserved better and I wish she was a good guy and she was in therapy :( remembered when she SPOILER nearly killed herself because she was trapped in that basement? like damn. that's sad. END SPOILER
> 
> Anyways, Arkham is hella unethical, and there needs to be a DCU Nellie Bly to change that shit. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!! Let me know abt anything you'd like in the comments :) 
> 
> **(AKA pls talk to me bc all the people on reddit do not see how traumatized Beth is and I need validation T_T I would love to talk to y'all so please don't be shy!) <3 **


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